Britni Smith, players instill new culture through #ICHUSE

By Justin Girshon staff writer

Over the summer, newly-appointed Syracuse ice hockey head coach Britni Smith laid the groundwork for a strong team culture —she had each player rank their core values on a scale from 1-5.

“When I first got the job here, we spent a lot of time discussing where the culture is at and what we like, and what we can improve,” Smith said. “The players had just as much of a say in what our core values are and what our culture is as myself or any other staff member.”

After evaluating all of the players’ values, the program’s six core values became intentionality, character, humility, unity, Syracuse and excellence. That created #ichuSe, pronounced “I choose.” The hashtag became the center of the program’s culture-building effort, as players have bought into the identifiers. The team uses the hashtag on all of their social media posts to highlight their values.

Following the creation of the hashtag, the coaching staff and players set up a weekly meeting where players have an open space to talk about the good, bad and ugly of the team’s culture and to hold each other accountable.

In late January, only one game separated men’s lacrosse

Opponent Preview: Everything to know about No. 9 Maryland

By Connor Smith senior staff writer

Syracuse improved to 3-0 for the first time since the pandemic-reduced 2020 season with an easy 15-6 win over Holy Cross on Sunday. It was the Orange’s third win in eight days after they eked out a 7-5 season-opening victory over Vermont, and then handled UAlbany 20-7. The win streak boosted SU to No. 18 in Inside Lacrosse’s top 25 rankings after it started the season unranked. Through three games, freshman Joey Spallina leads Syracuse with 11 goals and 13 points, while Owen Hiltz and Alex Simmons each have 10 points.

Nextup for the Orange is a trip south to face No. 9 Maryland, which lost for the first time since 2021 last Saturday against Loyola (Maryland). UMD went 18-0 last season, winning its fourth-ever national championship by beating Cornell and opened the season ranked No. 2.

Here’s everything to know about the Terrapins before faceoff on Saturday afternoon: All-time series Maryland leads, 12-6.

Last time they played

Then-No. 1 Maryland and No. 9 Syracuse battled in the Dome last February, with the Terrapins coming out on top, 14-10. UMD led 4-0 after the first quarter, and tacked on another goal early in the second quarter. SU played the rest of the game in catch-up mode, and while getting within one goal twice, were outscored 5-2 in the fourth quarter, leading to its first loss of the season.

“That’s the difference in the game, right? Spot them five and then you fight, spend the whole game trying to get close,” head coach Gary Gait said postgame.

Tucker Dordevic posted five goals to lead the Orange, and Lucas Quinn added a hat trick. Half of the Orange’s goals were unassisted, though, and the offensive went through lengthy stretches without scoring. Maryland turned the ball over 15 times, and SU goalie Bobby Gavin notched 11 saves, but the incon- women’s basketball sistent offensive performance couldn’t get Syracuse over the hump.

The Terrapins report Maryland lost a significant chunk of the production it received from last year’s national championship squad, including 297 points — 103 of which came from the Tewaaraton Awardwinning Logan Wisnauskas. Four short-stick defensive midfielders departed, too, and UMD’s top returning scorer, attack Eric Malever, suffered a knee injury and is out for the season.

The Terrapins, though, do have five players who were named either first or second-team preseason Inside Lacrosse All-Americans. That group is led by defensemen Brett Maker and Ajax Zappitello. UMD did lose Logan McNaney, who tore his ACL and is out for the season.

Faceoff specialist Luke Wierman also returns. Wierman won 66% of his faceoffs last season, and has posted a 71.8% success rate through two games this year. Offensively, Maryland has been led by Daniel Kelly (five goals, 11 shots) and Daniel Maltz (six points). But after scoring 15 goals in their season-opening win over Richmond, the Terrapins mustered only seven — their fewest since the 2019 NCAA Tournament — in the loss to Loyola.

How Syracuse beats Maryland

Despite Maryland’s departures from last season, and its loss last Saturday, Syracuse is still a significant underdog entering this game. Picking up a win will start at the face-off circle, where UMD’s Wierman has shined, and where SU sophomore Johnny Richiusa has been very inconsistent. Through three games, Richiusa has posted a 50% (33-for-66) face-off success rate, and was below 50% in the win against Holy Cross. The Orange won the faceoff battle against Maryland last season — 15-13 — and will need to perform similarly on Saturday to take the pressure off their defense.

Syracuse’s attack will also have to play its best game of the season. Gait has said the unit is still learning how to work together and share the ball — something that was displayed against Holy Cross, when seven different players scored — but the finishing wasn’t great on Sunday. Against Maryland, it will need to be, especially considering Maryland’s stout defense likely won’t let up many easy chances. On the other side, the Orange’s defense has been strong to start the season, and will need to continue that on Saturday. Beating the Terps will likely require holding them to 12 goals or fewer for SU to have a chance at winning.

Stat to know: 66.7%

Maryland has won 30-of-45 faceoffs through its first two games, a mark that ranks sixth best nationally and second among Big Ten teams. Wierman became UMD’s all-time single-season leader in faceoffs won and taken and was named a preseason first-team All-American. He has taken 87% of the Terrapins’ faceoffs this season. He’ll certainly provide a big test for Richiusa on Saturday.

Player to watch: Brett Makar, defense, No. 1 csmith49@syr.edu

Brett Makar is considered one of the best defensemen in college lacrosse, earning preseason first-team All-American recognition after collecting second-team honors last season. He was also a candidate for the Tewaaraton Award last season, and helped shut out Virginia’s star attack, Connor Shellenberger, in last year’s NCAA Tournament. If Spallina, Hiltz, Simmons and Finn Thomson can find ways to beat Makar and the rest of UMD’s defense, they have a good chance at securing an upset win.

@csmith17_

Opponent Preview: Everything to know about No. 24 Florida State

By Cole Bambini sports editor

Currently, Syracuse still sits on ESPN’s Bracketology as the first four out, despite a loss at No. 10 Notre Dame that swept the Orange this season. But Syracuse does have its upset win over then-No. 14 North Carolina to strengthen its resume.

On Sunday, Syracuse went back-andforth with Notre Dame during the first quarter, but the second quarter was poor. The Orange scored just six points, finishing 0-13 from the field in the period, but they got back into the game with a 17-5 run to close the third period. Eventually, the Fighting Irish closed out the fourth quarter and won, damaging Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament resume.

The Orange continue their two-game road trip by visiting No. 24 Florida State. The Seminoles are in a little bit of a skid, losing two straight against Virginia Tech and Miami.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Seminoles (20-7, 9-5 Atlantic Coast).

All time series Series is tied 5-5.

Last time they played

In Syracuse’s fifth to last game of the 202122 regular season, it hosted Florida State, which had entered 12-11 with just six conference wins. The Orange trailed by just four at the end of the first half, converting on four 3-pointers and shooting 53% from the floor in the first period.

But in the third quarter, Syracuse went 1-of-6 from beyond the arc and shot around 26% from the field. The Orange still managed to control the paint, scoring 30 points from inside and 13 secondchance points. And off FSU turnovers, Syracuse also scored 30 points. Florida State entered the final period with an 11-point lead, which Syracuse cut down into single digits. But despite four Orange players in double figures, Syracuse still fell 73-67, picking up its 10th conference loss of the season.

The Seminoles report

The Seminoles have turned around their program from a season ago and sit in fifth place in the ACC. They are a projected No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and close out the regular season with games against

Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Clemson — all teams below them in the conference standings. But, FSU enters on a two-game losing streak.

Offensively, FSU is one of the highestscoring teams in the nation, averaging 82.6 points per game, ranking first in the conference. It dropped at least 90 points in four conference games, including 91 in a win over then-No. 11 NC State. The Seminoles boast the conference’s leading scorer, Ta’Niya Latson, who scores just over 22 points per game. SU’s Dyaisha Fair sits just behind her in second with over 20 points per game.

On the glass, Florida State averages 43.9 boards per game, ranking ninth nationally, per Her Hoop Stats. Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said 43 is her team’s see

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